Ben Carson during an appearance in New York on "Hannity" on Fox News this week.Credit Brendan Mcdermid/Reuters

It’s been a big week for Ben Carson, the Republican presidential candidate who sits in second place in most polls. While making the rounds to promote his new book, he stirred controversy with remarks about gun violence that offended some victims of last week’s college massacre in Oregon. He also shared a story about his own experience at gunpoint, surmised that the Jews could have prevented the Holocaust if they were armed, and declined to put to rest questions about President Obama’s faith. To recap:

Monday — “I never saw a body with bullet holes that was more devastating than taking the right to arm ourselves away,” Mr. Carson wrote on Facebook in a response to a questions about how the latest shooting altered his views about the Second Amendment.

Tuesday — “I would not just stand there and let him shoot me,” Mr. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, said on Fox News. “I would say: ‘Hey, guys, everybody attack him! He may shoot me, but he can’t get us all.’”

Wednesday — “Guy comes in, puts the gun to my ribs, and I just said, ‘I believe that you want the guy behind the counter,’” Mr. Carson, explaining on SiriusXM, how he handled it when he was held up at gunpoint in a Popeye’s restaurant while he was a medical resident.

Thursday — “I can simply say that I’ll take him at his word,” Mr. Carson said, also on CNN, when asked if he believes that Mr. Obama is a Christian.

Thursday — “I think the likelihood of Hitler being able to accomplish his goals would have been greatly diminished if the people had been armed,” Mr. Carson told CNN, explaining that tyrannical path of Nazi Germany started by disarming citizens.

Friday — “That’s total foolishness,” Mr. Carson said to ABC, in response to criticism from the Anti-Defamation League about his Holocaust comments. “I’d be happy to discuss that in depth with anybody, but it is well-known that in many places where tyranny has taken over they first disarm the people. There’s a reason they disarm the people. They don’t just do it arbitrarily.”

About First Draft

First Draft provides fast-paced and comprehensive coverage of politics and elections by The New York Times. Come back throughout the day for the latest news and analysis, and be part of the political conversation.